First Grade Elementary Teacher in Indiana Faces Challenges in Classroom
1st grade elementary school in Indiana places dividers in class in order to adhere to the state’s safety regulations. (Photo taken by L.P.)
Recently, a first grade teacher from Indiana shared how different life has been since working face-to-face with her students again after going back to teach students in-person just two weeks ago. She would like her full name to remain anonymous, but she has given permission to use her initials: L.P.
L.P. was concerned about going back to work in-person because she thought she would be more susceptible to COVID-19 since she was going to be around 22 children. She didn’t feel 100% safe because she had to ensure that the children were staying safe in school, but there’s no way she can know how safe they’re being at home. This was just another responsibility added to her day at work. Young children are already prone to hurting themselves in accidents even without COVID-19. Now that the pandemic has arrived, teachers have had to take extra precaution on their students.
And as of March 1st, 2021, there has been an average of 542 cases. The seven day average is 839. Cases have fluctuated throughout the year of 2020-2021 in Indiana. But as of now, the state is at its peak of increased cases. This is why teachers like L.P. are worried about going back to the classroom.
“Yes, the parents were given a choice and we had about two-thirds return in-person and one-third remain virtual. Fifty in-person 20 virtual in first grade alone,” says L.P. after being asked if the students’ parents were given an option to send their children back to school in person or not.
Now that children are going back to school in person, safety precautions are made and are expected to be taken seriously amongst school grounds. But teachers must make sure that younger students know how important it is to remain socially distant and to always stay sanitized. The state of Indiana has placed new restrictions and guidelines for the safety of its schools.
“We have regulations in class, the students must wear their masks all day and are given short breaks,” explained L.P. “We wash our hands and sanitize often. They also have protective screens on their desks that they must face all day. They are not allowed to walk freely around the room. We have to limit the amount of paper we give them because we can’t collect papers without quarantining them for a few days. They are not allowed to share in class books so the amount of resources is limited. I made Velcro squares to map out each student’s personal space. They use crates to hold their backpacks and coats so no child’s clothing touches another.”
L.P. says that she’s had to face even more challenges with the students because they struggle to sit still with so many new rules put in place. Because she teaches first graders, she finds it difficult to keep the students focused at school. But as time goes on, she is hopeful that they will adjust quickly. Both students and teachers are struggling with new ways of learning and teaching, respectively.
“The most difficult part of teaching in person is the children cannot move around as much as they need to and lose their ability to remain seated and in their space. So maintaining classroom management becomes a challenge,” says L.P.
L.P. had obstacles to face when schools first started to shut down completely. She prefers students to learn in-person rather than online because she believes that they learn better that way. She was uncomfortable with the new system she had to learn in order to teach the students. It was a matter of learning how to teach in a different way.
“The most difficult part of teaching online was that most of the students were being given the answers and not allowed to work through their own work. So the validity of testing and graded work was compromised,” says L.P.
L.P. explains how she had to readjust her lifestyle as a teacher. Not only did students have to adapt to a new way of learning through a computer screen, but teachers also had to learn new ways of teaching online. Both parties faced challenges because of COVID-19.
“ My thoughts on going back to the classroom were two fold, one I have not had COVID-19 and I was concerned with 22 children in one room that I would be sure to get it. On the other hand I know that children learn better in person and not through a screen,” says L.P.
As of right now, teachers are not obligated to take the vaccination.
Either way, she has had to go through different issues with each given situation as a teacher. L.P. is just one of many that have had a voice about how COVID has affected their work life.